COMMERCIAL RADIO – PRINCIPALS OF EDITORIAL TRUST
INTRODUCTION
Commercial radio has the attention of nearly 31 million adults every week. That is a
significant responsibility. Those listeners trust radio stations to act with integrity and
honesty. That trust is a key reason why people choose to listen to the radio when they have
many other media choices competing for their time.
If we act in a way that undermines that trust, we damage not only the reputation of our
radio station, but of the industry as a whole, and of radio as a medium. We recognise that
respecting individual listeners and their trust in our stations is an important part of our
appeal to the audience as a whole.
HONESTY
We will not deliberately mislead our audience.
We recognise that inaccurate or misleading content, even if it causes no direct harm, can
undermine listener trust in radio.
We will present factual material accurately and truthfully. We will correct material factual
errors as soon as reasonably possible once they are identified.
Where content is fictitious or dramatised, we will ensure that listeners understand the
context of the output.
We will take care in how we present our content. For example, we will not describe content
as ‘live’, ‘local’ or ‘exclusive’ if those terms are not accurate. If we inadvertently mislead our
listeners, we will broadcast a correction as appropriate.
We will address any harm caused by any errors we make.
COMPETITIONS
We will run competitions fairly and honestly.
Competition rules will be clear and fair, as will the method of selecting winners.
Where some entrants are prohibited from entering competitions, or where entrants with
particular skills or profiles have an advantage in entering a competition, we will make this
clear up front. Subject to this qualification, we will treat all entrants equally, irrespective of
demographics, location or how the entrant sounds on air.
Prizes will be clearly and accurately described, and delivered in reasonable time.
Where competitions have failed to run effectively for whatever reason (e.g. technical faults,
human error) we will offer refunds to affected entrants.
Where we have caused any financial loss, however small, to a large number of people, we
will apologise on air.
Where we rely on third parties for any activity, we will encourage them to adhere to the
standards in this code. We will not accept commercial activity that, in our opinion,
undermines listener trust or breaches the regulatory Codes.
We will take particular care when listeners pay to interact with us
This code works in tandem with the Commercial Radio Code of Conduct for Premium Rate
Services. That code sets out, in detail, how the industry will operate paid-for listener
services in the most fair and transparent way.
comply with it (see below).
Members of RadioCentre are expected to
When we charge listeners to interact with us, all those who do so will receive what we tell
them they will receive. No paid-for communication will be ignored or given less attention
than others. We will make the costs of communicating with us clear and prominent.
COMPLAINTS
We will treat all complaints fairly and proportionately, whether they come from a
listener or a regulator, and will respond as appropriate.
We will provide accessible methods of communicating with our stations for listeners who
wish to complain.
Complaints about breaches of editorial trust will be thoroughly investigated. If they are
found to be justified, we will say so, and take further action to correct the mistake and
address any harm caused.
In responding to complaints from regulators, we will provide all information that we believe
to be relevant, whether or not it has specifically been requested. Where we have been at
fault, we will admit it, explain how it happened, and detail the remedial action taken. Where
we find we have not been at fault, we will explain why. We will defend ourselves robustly if
we believe an adjudication or sanction is unjustified, or where we believe a regulator has
acted incorrectly.
We require all breaches of listener trust or potential regulatory breaches that are serious to
be notified to senior management.
COMPLIANCE PROCEDURES
We will encourage a culture of trust and compliance in our stations
We will ensure that our staff understand the rules that apply; they will be encouraged to
raise any concerns or issues that they identify, and we will operate ‘whistle-blower’ policies
to protect those who do so.
We will treat our staff fairly and will not presume them to have committed an error unless
and until we have investigated and found that to be the case. If we believe disciplinary
action is warranted, we will apply it consistently and proportionately, irrespective of the
seniority of the individual.
We recognise that honest people make honest mistakes. However, we will not tolerate
deliberate deception or deliberate concealment of errors by our staff.
ADHERENCE TO THIS CODE
Adherence to this code is a requirement of RadioCentre membership
This code has been approved by the board of RadioCentre in the interests of securing the
trust of Commercial Radio’s listeners. The board believes that adherence to this code (and
the accompanying Commercial Radio Code of Conduct for Premium Rate Services) is a
reasonable requirement of RadioCentre membership.
This code should therefore be
integrated within RadioCentre members’ own compliance procedures.
Queries about this code, or recommendations for its updating should be directed to the Chief
Executive of RadioCentre.
December 2008